Package with snap-in blister card

ABSTRACT

A package includes a housing ( 101 ) made of multiple panels, with at least two receptor areas ( 145 A,  145 B) formed in the panels, and a blister card ( 201 ) which snaps into engagement with the receptor areas ( 145 A,  145 B).

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/749,286 filed on Jan. 5, 2013 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure is directed to blister card packages and, more particularly, to a package where a trap-sealed blister card is snapped into a larger housing or carton.

Manufacturers and retailers of consumer goods, such as pharmaceuticals, software, electronics, health and beauty products and the like, typically package their products in various types of display packages. For example, many consumer goods are packaged in blister or clamshell packages formed by positioning a consumer good in a flanged blister made from various polymeric and/or paperboard materials and sealing the flanged blister between two paperboard substrates. Packages may be made based largely on paperboard, for example, NATRALOCK packages made by MeadWestvaco Corporation. Packaging made primarily of paperboard is more sustainable than packaging made from petroleum-based plastics. The paperboard used in such packages may be tear-resistant as described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,635.

Packages are often made by positioning a blister upon a display card where the blister gives visibility to the product, and the card provides support for the blister, covers the opening in the blister, or provides a surface for printed graphics. A package is desired that has a novel design for holding a blister.

SUMMARY

In one aspect a package is disclosed which includes a housing made of a plurality of panels; at least two receptor areas formed in the plurality of panels; and a blister card having at least two engagement features to engage the receptor areas.

Other aspects of the disclosed package will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first blank to form a housing;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the blank of FIG. 1, after folding certain panels;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the blank of FIG. 2, after further folding;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the blank, approximately as shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the blank, after further folding;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of housing formed from the blank of FIGS. 1-5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of housing from a different viewpoint;

FIG. 8A is a plan view of a second blank to form a card;

FIG. 8B is a plan view of a blister to be attached to the card;

FIG. 8C is a plan view of a blister card including the card of FIG. 8A and the blister of FIG. 8B;

FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the blister card of FIG. 8C, indicating its placement into the housing of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a third blank for forming a sleeve;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 10, after folding certain panels;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the sleeve formed from the blank of FIGS. 10-11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the sleeve of FIG. 12, enclosing the housing and card;

FIG. 14A is a plan view of a blank for making an alternative card, and also showing a blister to be attached to the card;

FIG. 14B is a perspective view of the partially formed card, with the blister attached to the card;

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a blank for forming a housing to receive the card and blister of FIG. 14B;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 15 after folding certain panels, and forming a partially completed housing;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the partially completed housing of FIG. 16, receiving the card and blister of FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the finished package made from the parts shown in FIG. 17; and

FIG. 19 illustrates additional alternative housings to receive a blister card.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As various embodiments of the package are described, reference will be made to FIGS. 1-19. Certain parts of the packages are denoted by reference numerals. Occasionally where there is more than one of the same feature, only one will be denoted by a reference numeral. Typically in these Figures, where a plan view is shown for a blank of material, solid lines usually indicate periphery or cuts, and dashed lines usually indicate crease, score, or fold lines. In perspective views, solid lines typically show edges or folds, while dashed lines typically show hidden or partially obscured features. However, where the structure is readily understood as in partially or completely finished stages, folds may be shown as solid lines.

Where assembly steps are described, these steps are exemplary and are not to be limiting as to the sequence of operations used to arrive at the final package. Also, directions such as up, down, top, bottom, front, back, etc. are used for convenience in describing the package and are not meant to be limiting. The packages described here may be made from one blank (that is, the cut sheet parts from which the package components are made by folding and other steps) or from more than one blank. The word “card” or “panel” will often be used to describe a piece of sheet material such as paperboard, particularly with respect to a blank from which the package is made. Since panels are sometimes superimposed, for example, creating a two-layer or multi-layer structure, like features or panels will sometime coincide, in which cases, descriptions may call out the number identifying the feature closer to the viewer, that is, the feature visible in a particular Figure.

FIGS. 1-13 show a package having a blister card (FIG. 8A-8C) received within a housing (FIG. 1-7), and optionally with an outer sleeve FIG. 10-12).

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a blank 100 for forming a housing. The view as shown may be considered to represent an interior surface of the housing. Instead of a single blank, the housing may be formed from several blanks. Housing blank 100 may include a floor panel 110, generally surrounded on four sides by a series of foldably connected panels, the four sides being arbitrarily assigned suffixes A, B, C, and D. Connected to the floor panel 110 along fold lines are outer wall panels 120A, 120B, 120C, and 120D. The outer wall panels may have generally the same height which may define the finished height of the housing. Intermediate panels may be formed in one or more of the outer wall panels, for example intermediate panel 124 formed in outer wall panel 120C.

The ends of the outer wall panels may join together through corner gusset panels 122.

Next, connected to the outer wall panels along fold lines are ledge panels 130A, 130B, 130C, and 130D. The ledge panels will extend laterally ‘inward’ in the finished package, and may define a peripheral “frame” around the package on one or more sides. The ledge panels may extend laterally inward the same distances (e.g. ledge panels 130A, 130B) or different distances (e.g. ledge panels 130B, 130C and 130D).

Next, connected to the ledge panels along fold lines are inner wall panels 140A, 140B, 140C, and 140D. The inner wall panels may have the same heights as the outer wall panels, forming a housing with ‘horizontal’ ledge panels substantially parallel to the floor panel 110, or the inner wall panels may have a different height than the outer wall panels, forming a housing with sloped ledge panels. Brace flaps may be utilized such as brace flaps 142D provided on inner wall panel 140D.

Finally, connected to the inner wall panels along fold lines are foot panels 150A, 150B, 150C, and 150D. At or near the fold line between certain inner wall panels and foot panels may be provided receiver slits such as 145A formed at or near the fold line between inner wall panel 140A and foot panel 150A. The receiver slits may advantageously be formed in the inner wall panel or foot panel, near the intervening fold line (as shown), or may be formed some distance up the inner wall panel. Preferably at least two receiver slits are formed. Preferably the receiver slits are formed at opposing sides of the package, although they may be formed on adjacent sides of the package.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the same blank 100, after opposing panels “A” and “B” (shown at ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ of FIG. 2) are folded inward. FIG. 2 represents a flattened configuration in which foot panels 150A, 150B may be attached to floor panel 110, for example by adhesives, heat seal, staples, or other method. Thus, using for example the “A” panels, a flattened tubular structure is formed of panels 110, 120A, 130A, 140A, and secured by the attachment of foot panel 150A to floor panel 110.

FIG. 3 shows a plane view of the same blank after the flattened tubes formed by opposing panels “A” and “B” have been opened up to form rectangular tubes (that is, ledge panels 130A, 130B are parallel to the floor panel 110.) This is more easily understood by viewing FIG. 4, a perspective view of the same structure, with some of the other panels also partly folded upward. The rectangular tubes form substantially a frame on two sides of the package.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the housing blank 100 with the “D” panels folded upward and inward to form another portion of a frame around the package. Foot panel 150D may be simply folded under the “D” tube portion, or may be fastened to floor panel 110.

FIG. 6 shows the finished housing 101, after the “C” panels have been folded upward and inward to form the fourth wall. Foot panel 150C may be fastened to floor panel 110; however, it may also be tucked under the “C” tube portion, but left unadhered, so that the “C” tube portion may be used for storage of product items. Finger hole 144C may be provided in inner wall 140C in order for a user to pull the wall inward and open the storage area.

FIG. 7 shows the finished housing 101 from a different viewpoint. Intermediate panel 124 which is formed in outer wall 120C may be folded inward to create an internal divider to separate or organize the “C” tube storage area. The inward-folded wall also creates a viewing area to see the contents of the storage area.

FIG. 8A shows a blank 200 to form a card for receiving a blister 300 shown in FIG. 8B. The blank 200 may include a front panel 210 and back panel 220, hingedly joined together along fold line 215. An aperture 212 is formed in front panel 210, sized so that the blister body 310 may pass through, without allowing blister flange 312 to pass through. Engagement features 216, 226 may be formed on one or more edges of front panel 210 and back panel 220, respectively. For example the engagement features may be outwardly extending regions of a size and shape suitable to fit into receiver slits 145A, 145B shown in FIGS. 1 and 6.

To assemble the card and blister, the blister 300 may first be placed upon back panel 220 as indicated by arrow A. Next, as indicated by arrow “B”, the front panel 210 may be folded over along folded line 215 and onto back panel 220 and blister 300, with the blister body 310 extending forward through aperture 212 while blister flange 312 is sandwiched between front panel 210 and back panel 220. This forms the blister card 201 shown in FIG. 8C. The layers of the blister card (the front panel 210, back panel 220, and blister flange 312) may be fastened together by heat seal, adhesive, staples, or other suitable method.

FIG. 9A shows blister card 201 being placed into housing 101. The blister card may be positioned in the space between inside walls 140A, 140B, 140C, 140D. Engagement features 216, 226 may be inserted into receiver slits 145A, 145B in order to secure blister card 201 into housing 101 to form the structure 102 shown in FIG. 9B. For simplicity, the blister itself is not shown on the blister card in FIG. 9B. Both the housing 101 and the blister card 201 may be relatively stiff materials but somewhat flexible materials, such as paperboard or plastic. Thus the housing and/or blister card may flex slightly to allow the engagement features to fit into the receiver slits. However the relative stiffness of the materials will resist removal of the engagement features from the slits. The blister card may be considered to be a “snap-in” card.

An optional sleeve 401 may be provided around the package. FIG. 10 shows a plan view of a blank 400 for making the sleeve. The sleeve may include a series of connected panels including front extension panel 410, front top panel 420, front panel 430, bottom panel 440, back panel 450, back top panel 460, and back extension panel 470. These panels may be joined along hinge or fold lines 415, 425, 435, 445, 455, 465. A window or opening 432 may be provided in front panel 430. A recessed area 452 may be provided along an edge of back panel 450, which may coincide with or be proximate to an opening in the housing such as the opening formed from intermediate panel 124 as shown in FIG. 7. Hang holes 418, 478 may be formed in front extension panel 410 and back extension panel 470.

FIG. 11 shows a step in formed the blank 400 into a sleeve, by folding the bottom panel 440 forward along fold line 445, and then folding the front panel 430 upward along fold line 435.

FIG. 12 shows the finished sleeve 401 after the front top panel 420 and back top panel 460 have been folded down toward each other, and front extension panel 410 and back extension panel 470 have been brought into facing relationship after which the extension panels may be fastened together by heat seal, adhesive, staples, or other method.

FIG. 13 shows a package where the sleeve 401 receives the housing 101 and its blister card. However, the package may be formed as a blister card and housing, but without a sleeve.

FIGS. 14-18 illustrate another package.

FIG. 14A is a plan view of a blank 1200 for making an alternative card, and also showing a blister 1300 to be attached to the card. The blank 1200 may include a series of panels, labeled as shown from left to right, as follows. Inside front panel 1220F, inside main panel 1220, inside left panel 1220L, outside left panel 1210L, outside main panel 1210, outside front panel 1210F, and right panel 1210R. The respective panels are joined together along fold lines. In order to make it easier to fold the card, relief cutaways 1225 may be provided along some of the folds, for example those folds that will be on the inside of the card.

A window 1212 may be provided in outside main panel 1210. A blister 1300 may be received in window 1212. The blister may have a blister body 1310 and a peripheral flange 1312. The flange 1312, rather than being flat, may be curved for example as curved flange portion 1314, where the right side of the flange is curved forward (e.g. toward the viewer) relative to other portions of the flange.

FIG. 14B shows a folded card 1201 formed from blank 1200, where the inner panels 1220L, 1220, and 1220F have been folded backward to form two plies with the outer panels 1210L, 1210, and 1210F respectively. Blister 1300 has been positioned with flange 1312 between the inner main panel 1220 and outer main panel 1210, with the blister body 1310 protruding forward through window 1212. The inner and outer panels may not be fastened together in facing relationship, for example by heat sealing, adhesives, staples or other method. Note that at the extreme left end of the card, left tab 1218L extends from outside left panel 1210L. At the extreme right end of the card, right tab 1218R extends from outside right panel 1210R. Also at the left end of the card, left downward extension 1210X descends from left panel 1210L. At the front right of the card, front downward extension 1210Y descends from panel 1210F. At the right of the card, right downward extension 1210Z descends from panel 1210R. These extensions will be received into a housing as described below.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a blank for forming a housing to receive the card and blister of FIG. 14B. The blank may include a series of panels foldably attached to one another. The panels are denoted in FIG. 15 include suffixes R, F, L, and B to designate right, front, left and back portions.

Blank 1100 may include a front floor panel 1110F, a back floor panel 1110B, a right floor flap 1110R, and a left floor flap 1110L. In the assembled housing these panels and flaps may be folded together to form the bottom surface of the housing.

Blank 1100 may have a series of portions to form upright sections of the housing, including glue flap 1120G, right panel 1120R, front panel 1120F, left panel 1120L, and back panel 1120B. Some of these panels may be attached to reinforcing flaps such as front reinforcing flap 1130F (to be folded over upon an upper portion of front panel 1120F) and left reinforcing flap 1130L (to be folded over upon an upper portion of left panel 1120L). Others of the panels may be attached to support or bracing flaps such as brace 1130A attached to left wall 1120L. Brace 1130A may have a slit 1130B to receive a tab 1130T attached to stage panel 1130.

Slits 1122R, 1122L may be provided in the housing for receiving tabs 1218L, 1218R of the card to be received in the housing, as shown in FIG. 18.

Blank 1100 may include a right top flap 1140R, a left top flap 1130L, and a back top flap 1140B. In the assembled housing these flaps may be folded together to form the top surface of the housing.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG. 15 after folding certain panels, and forming a partially completed housing 1101. The floor panels and floor flaps form the lower surface of the housing, and may be fastened together, for example by heat sealing, adhesive or other method. The upright sections of the housing may form four walls including back panel 1120B, left panel 1120L, front panel 1120F, right panel 1120R, and glue flap 1120G (which may be glued or otherwise fastened to back panel 1120B. In the example housing shown here, the back wall (formed by back panel 1120B) and right wall (formed by right panel 1120R) are seen to be closed, while the left wall formed by left panel 1120L and the front wall formed by front panel 1120F are mostly open. However other variations of the housing structure may be used according to manufacturing preference. Reinforcing flaps 1130L and 1130F are shown as folded inward onto the upper area of left wall 1120L and front wall 1120F respectively, to which they may be glued or otherwise fastened.

Stage panel 1130 may be folded into the housing to form a stage on which to rest a central lower edge of folded card 1201. To secure the stage panel 1130, tab 1130T may be inserted into slit 1130B. It may be noted that there may be a gap G1 (in this case a linear opening) between the back left edge of the stage 1130 and the left panel 1120L into which left downward extension 1210X of display card 1201 (see FIGS. 14B and 17) may be inserted. Likewise there may be a gap G2 (in this case an open area) between the right edge of stage panel 1130 and right panel 1120R, into which front downward extension 1210Y and right downward extension 1210R may be inserted (see FIGS. 14B and 17).

The left top flap 1140L, back top flap 1140B, and right top flap 1140R are shown as folded slightly inward in FIG. 16. However, the folded card 1201 will first be inserted into the housing as shown in FIG. 17,

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the partially completed housing of FIG. 16, receiving the card 1201 of FIG. 14, as indicated by downward arrow D. Left downward extension 1210Y and front downward extension 1210Y of the card 1201 are shown being received by the openings G1, G2. (Right downward extension 1210Z is hidden, but also received in opening G2.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the finished package, after the housing left top flap 1140L, right top flap 1140R, and back top flap 1140B have been folded down to form the top surface of the housing. It may be noted that when the card 1201 is fully received into the housing 1101, left tab 1218L of the card may be received into slit 1122L of the housing. Likewise (not shown) right tab 1218R may be received into slit 1122R.

FIGS. 19A-19D show additional alternative housings to receive blister cards. Housing 102 for example has four walls, with receiver slits in two opposing walls to receive tabs on opposing edges of blister card 202. The blister card may rest on or near the bottom of the housing.

Housing 103 has four walls, with receiver slits in two adjacent walls to receive tabs on adjacent edges of blister card 203. The blister card may rest on or near the bottom of the housing.

Housing 104 has three walls, with receiver slits in two opposing walls to receive tabs on opposing edges of blister card 204. The blister card may rest on or near the bottom of the housing.

Housing 105 has two walls, with receiver slits in the walls to receive tabs on edges of blister card 205. The blister card in this example may be elevated above the bottom of the housing.

Tabs on the blister cards may be of various shapes and sizes and may be located on edges or corners of the blister cards, to engage slits on sides or corners of the housings. The tabs may include features (wings, notches, protrusions, and the like) to secure the tabs more firmly in the slits. FIGS. 19A-19D represent only a few of the many possible structures.

The package may have forms other than the specific structures shown in FIGS. 1-19. For the packages described here, a card is generally received into a housing lowering the card down into the housing. However, other housings and cards may be utilized in which a card is moved horizontally into a housing (e.g. from the left, right, front or back) of a housing, or raised into a housing.

Although the blister 300 construction shown here encloses a product, it is also contemplated that portions of the blister may be left open, for example to allow a customer to handle the product such as feeling the texture, observing the product directly (without looking through the blister material), testing a fit (e.g. for an electrical connection), and for other purposes.

The blanks 100, 200, 400 (and cards and housings made therefrom) may be formed of a sheet material such as paperboard, which may be made of or coated with materials to increase its strength. An example of such a sheet material is EASYSEAL paperboard made by MeadWestvaco Corporation. The sheet material may have a heat sealable coating, for example to allow a heat seal to be created between the various panels. Alternately, other forms of adhesive may be used to seal these parts together. It should be noted that the use of tear resistant materials, and/or in more than one layer, help to improve the tamper- and theft-resistance of the package. The panels may be joined together by heat sealing, RF (radio frequency) sealing, ultrasonic sealing, adhesive, or other means.

Blister 300 may be made with common thermoform plastics such as PVC, PET, or APET but may also include a recycled material such as RPET or a biodegradable material such as PLA. However other materials including other plastics (or paperboard, at least for the backing sheet) may also be used. Besides thermoforming, the blister may be formed by injection molding or other manufacturing methods. The blister may be formed in one or more pieces. For example the blister 300 may be formed from 0.015″ thick PET plastic.

It should be understood that additional panels or fold-over panels may be included in the package for further reinforcing the package, providing additional advertising space, and so on. 

1. A package comprising: a housing comprising a plurality of panels; at least two receptor areas formed in the plurality of panels; and a blister card comprising at least two engagement features to engage the receptor areas.
 2. The package of claim 1, wherein the receptor areas are slits.
 3. The package of claim 1, wherein the engagement features are tabs.
 4. The package of claim 1, wherein the blister card comprises a blister and at least one layer of sheet material.
 5. The package of claim 4, wherein the blister card comprises two layers of paperboard.
 6. The package of claim 5, wherein the blister comprises a peripheral flange positioned between the two layers.
 7. The package of claim 4, wherein the engagement features are formed on edges of the layer of sheet material.
 8. The package of claim 1, further comprising an outer sleeve. 